WE JUST KEEP ON KEEPING ON

We are en route home. We separated from Don and Linda en route to Denver Thursday.  We have enjoyed their company during this trip and we thank them for putting up with us.  It cannot be easy traveling with two old coots like ourselves who are known among family members as “the Bickersons”.. 

 

Barbara joined us in Denver and will accompany us to Glendale.  After a brief visit with the locals in Glendale, she will conclude her visit to the States with a visit in Prescott, Arizona before flying to Little Rock for her departure to Brazil.

 

We spent Sunday, August 15, in Mitchell South Dakota.  The highlight of our visit there was a visit to the Corn Palace which is a unique tribute to “corn”.  They decorate  the building each year with remnants of corn i.e., silk, actual ears of corn, shucks etc.  We missed Kenny Rogers’ appearance which is scheduled for August 28.

 

Monday, our travel included a stop at the Lewis and Clark museum overlooking the Missouri, river. We then drove through the Badlands, stopped at Wall for a “tourist” thing and then made our way to our RV Resort outside Rapid City.  Monday evening we celebrated Ken’s 79^th birthday with dinner at the site and a birthday cake to “herald” the occasion. 

 

Tuesday, we visited Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse statute in progress.  The Crazy Horse statute is a spectacular work of sculpture that will be years in the carving.  It is fully funded independent of any governmental assistance and apparently, does not receive any contributions from the Indian nation as well.  We were pleased to see the progress of the sculpture since our last visit in 2005.  After a drive through the countryside where we invited the buffalo, the deer and the wild donkeys to say hello, we accepted our snubbed status and returned to “camp”. 

 

Wednesday, Ken fulfilled another of the many items on his bucket list with a trek to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming.  Of course, he also had to walk the approximate mile and 1/3 around the tower but not without frequent rest stops.  I waited with my usual patience and lack of interest while he did his thing.  We concluded the day with a drive through scenic Spearfish Canyon, Deadwood and back to our RV site.  It was a long, full and for Ken, an exciting day of adventure.

 

Thursday morning, we were up early and out of camp by 830AM en route to Denver where we spent the night.

 

Fridat, Ken’s sister, Barbara rejoined us for the last leg of our trip through Colorado over Monarch Pass and into Gunnison where we spent Friday and Saturday night. 

 

Saturday, we did a drive about through the canyons and gullys en route to Montrose and a revisit to Ouray, Colorado.  After a nice lunch, we viewed an interesting film on Ouray prepared by one of the locals which provided a passionate overview of the psyche of the mountain people who live there.  Ouray was a favorite spot of Ken’s parents thus, the siblings enjoyed visiting the area.  A favorite reminisce of the siblings is the story that Ken’s father was ready to buy a house there until he double parked to let Ken’s mother out of the car and he was rear ended by a Deputy Police Officer.  Ken’s dad was given a ticket for double parking.   Ken’s dad felt that he was wrongly cited since he was not double parked, he simply stopped to let someone out of the car.  He cancelled purchase of the house and I am not sure whether he ever returned to that locale.  Personally, although Ouray is a quaint and interesting town, the mountains tend to “close me in”.

 

There you have it for another week.  We are off for the last leg of the trip which, hopefully, will conclude in Glendale on Wednesday.

 

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TREKIN’ WEST

 

My last dispatch reported Marvis and Bob’s departure in Montreal and the start of our trek from Montreal through Ontario.  We spent Saturday night just outside Ottawa and Sunday night in Sudbury.  We crossed the border into the US Monday about noon.  Reentry was simple and less complicated than we expected which was a happy event.  We spent some time in Suez St. Marie and watched a large freighter clear the Soo lochs before checking into our RV resort at Cedarville, Michigan..

 

Tuesday, Ken and I met Sunday School “siblings”, Dana and Virginia Patten at the Pelston Regional Airport.  The terminal is a beautiful multi million dollar facility that I would guess might host a maximum of five or six flights per day.  Indeed, the decor inside is beautiful and lavish for such a small airport which leads one to conclude that it must have been a politician’s pork barrel project  There really oughta be a law!!

 

After a brief visit in the very comfortable lounge area, we drove a short distance to an elegant restaurant in a “wonder land” just down the road.  As we entered the spacious well appointed entry, we were greeted by the owner and the hostess.  We were shown to our white table cloth covered table which sat at a window overlooking the beautiful grounds.  It was a perfect tranquil setting that reflected warmth and welcome.  We shared a fine chicken dinner served family style topped off with lively conversation and background stories of the area and individual history.  It was a great evening made more enjoyable by the presence of fellow Glendale residents..

 

Wednesday was a laid back day devoted to laundry, cleaning and general rest and relaxation.  Those days have been few and far between on this trip, so each such day is a gift.

 

Thursday, we drove along Lake Michigan and into Munising, Michigan where Ken, Don and Linda took a boat tour of the beautiful picture rocks on Lake Superior.  From there, we drove on into Marquette for the night. 

 

Friday morning we left Don and Linda in Marquette and made our way through the beautiful scenic highways of Wisconsin in spite of the sometimes high winds that tossed our coach a bit.  We had intermittent storm showers but they were no deterrent to the beauty of the land that changed from a land of lakes surrounded by trees into rolling hills of lush green pastures and farm land.  We spent Friday night in Hudson, Wisconsin and watched as a dark threatening cloud hovered nearby.  We were concerned that the storm would hit us but we were fortunate, it did not. Thankfully, the storm veered northerly and missed us.  The next day we learned that it had carried high wind, golf ball sized hail and caused considerable damage.  We were thankful to be spared. We have been very lucky with the weather on this trip.

 

Saturday, we stopped in Lakeville, Minnesota for lunch and a visit with Jim and Ann Keelin, from our Percy Jones Army Hospital (PJAH) days.  Ken and Jim served together at the hospital during the Korean war.  Jim and Ann were married in September and we were married in October. We go back a long way and have stayed in touch through the years.  Jim is currently recuperating from a paralysis of his legs after back surgery.  They are in an assisted living complex during his recuperation period which is very comfortable and provides support for Jim as he learns to walk once again, after a period of significant handicap.  We are hoping that they will get out to Arizona this winter and that we will be able to share more “quality” time with them after Jim has recovered from this setback.  Our group from this era of our lives is dwindling thus, our time together is coveted and special.

 

After our too short but delightful visit with Ann and Jim we departed Lakeville and made our way into Iowa and an overnight at Spirit Lake. 

 

We are en route to the Black Hills via the Badlands. 

 

 

 

AU REVERIE ? BOB AND MARVIS

Sunday August 1 – Our week started out with a bit of fresh cool air both inside and outside the coach but as the week went by, there were warmer days in both places.  Sunday Don, Linda and Ken went to Church and did a drive about in preparation for some major “touristing” in Halifax on Monday.   Ken and I, Bob and Marvis visited Peggy’s Cove, one of the most scenic and picturesque coves of this trip and rarely if ever, have I seen a more beautiful sight.  Peggy’s Cove is a cherished memory of this trip.

 

Monday, the Gerstens did a bus tour of Halifax while Ken, Don and Linda did a water tour for a review of the historic events. My blood pressure seemed a little high so I treated myself to a laid back day of relaxation.  Our travel has been somewhat busy and I seem to have to have a “quiet” day occasionally and when I feel the “need” for one, I take it though admittedly, not without some feelings of guilt for being such a “woose”.

 

Tuesday, was a travel day with an overnight in the pines at Miramiche, New Brunswick.    Bob, Marvis, Ken and I ventured out for a ride about town and vitals only to be somewhat disappointed.  Canadian food has not been a memory to write home about so I will not bore you. 

 

Wednesday, we drove through beautiful farms, peeks and valleys as we traveled along the river from Miramiche to Trois Pistoles, Quebec where we spent the night and enjoyed another evening of Canadian hospitality this time with a flavor of Quebec.  We drew smiles from the townspeople as all six of us climbed out of Ken’s five passenger Saturn SUV at the restaurant.  Dinner was on a par of the night before but the hospitality was warm in spite of our lack of proper language skills. 

 

Thursday we followed along the St Lawrence to Quebec City.  We arrived around noon, parked our rigs, climbed aboard our suv and drove into old town Quebec City where we enjoyed lunch at a French restaurant that we have enjoyed on our three visits to Quebec City.  Unfortunately, our bro, Don, didn’t think much of our choice but was a good sport and sampled the fare albeit without the fan.  We enjoyed the afternoon  watching a parade of residents clad in early Quebec ( French) attire  as they celebrated the settlement of  Quebec and the pioneer families who settled the city.  People watching has never been so interesting. Our visit could not have been better timed.   

 

Friday we traveled from Quebec City into Montreal and explored the waterfront, took a short guided tour that provided history of the waterfront and Montreal’s pioneer days before dropping Bob and Marvis at their hotel and saying goodbye to them as they leave us to return to their home in Goshen CT.  We enjoyed their company and all of us will miss them as we make our way through Ontario and into Michigan where we will start our trek home. 

 

Saturday was a day of travel through Ottawa with an overnight at Cedar Haven where we camped on a lake and enjoyed another night in the Canadian wilderness somewhere between Montreal and Thunder Bay, I think. . 

 

 

    

 

 

COOLER WEATHER HAS ARRIVED

It is Sunday, August 1, 2010.  After a whirlwind trip through Massachusetts, Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, we are “at rest” in Nova Scotia.  Ken, Don and Linda are off to church and our friends, Bob and Marvis are having a lazy morning at their motel while I enjoy some quiet time just to enlighten you, the reader of this dispatch.

 

In Portland Maine we did the mail boat trek to the islands off of Portland and in Bar Harbor we endured a tour of Acadia National Park and learned some history of that lovely area which has evolved from the era of summer residences for the very rich.  Like the Virgin Islands, Bar Harbor seems to have been a Rockefeller vision and development. 

 

From the Bar Harbor area we drove to Calais Maine for an overnight before crossing the border into Canada and a two night stay in New Brunswick from which we did a day tour of Prince Edward Island. An early departure was necessary for us to reach the ferry in Pictou and the one hour ride across to PEI. We made a quick drive into Charlottetown to attend to some business matters before driving approximately 50 Kms to the location for the ANN OF GREEN GABLES movie and the home that spawned the autho’rs tale.  We drove back across the 9 mile bridge into New Brunswick, had dinner massaged our buts from a 250 mile day with 6 people in a Satuirn SUV.  We decided it was more fun to all go in the same car and Marvis, as the smallest of the “lot” agreed to sit in the back where luggage is usually stored.  Believe me – Marvis is not luggage but she is a good sport and in spite of our sometimes crowded accommodations, we had many laughs, enjoyed the day except for moments of leisure in the outback where no one knew where we were for sure.  Nevertheless, I think the sentiment was that we had a good time but now enlightened, we would probably not do that particular trip again. As we drove onto the ferry, I heard one of the staff say into his CB, “These SUVs really pack ‘em in.”

 

Saturday morning, we departed our New Brunswick campsite for a 100 mile drive into Nova Scotia.  In Maine, Ken’s GPS froze and we have been traveling the old fashioned way with regular old road maps.  Well, Saturday took the cake for poor navigation, lousey instinct and elevated arrogance by the driver of this particular RV.  As a result what was to be a 100 mile trip ended up being a 200 mile excursion and I am still panting with the anger that a wife feels when she has an obnoxious husband who will not stop and ask questions, thinks he know it all and whose ego will not permit him to listen to others.  Needless to say, a coolness permeates the air and it is not all the Canadian weather.

 

There you have it.  Another week unfolded with more yet to come.  Let’s hope that we have learned some lessons even though they have been a bit slow in learning.